The cover of the book '100 Poets Around the World for Love' was unveiled at Biswa Sahitya Kendra at Bangla Motor in the capital.
The poetry anthology was published after a long planning and live series with many poets of different languages around the globe.
The book cover unveiling ceremony was held at Baatighar of Biswa Sahitya Kendra at Bangla Motor on Monday (Jan 9).
Prof Abdullah Abu Sayeed, founder of Biswa Sahitya Kendra, eminent poet Joy Goswami, poet Shahed Kayes, poet Shamim Reza, Indian poet and literary critic Prof Tapodhir Bhattacharjee and poet Kamal Chowdhury, among others, attended the programme as guests.
The Gronthee editor Shamim Shahan edited the anthology.
In his welcome speech, Shamim Shahan said that the work was done during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Gronthee, a South Asian literary platform in the UK, in collaboration with Saudha society of poetry and Indian music and RadhaRaman Society, an organisation of Bengali folk music initiated a Facebook Live series titled '100 Poets Around the World for Love' on June 27 last year.
Renowned poets from more than 25 countries around the world participated in this series of twenty episodes. From there, the poems were collected. I have no children of my own, Gronthee is as like as my child. And this is also the outcome of love and dedication.
Abdullah Abu Sayeed said: "Poets must know all important arts or elements so that they can use the proper and powerful words for their poems. Speech, content and way of writing are the main things for them. They have their own philosophy to produce before the world. We think that writing something is beautiful in our language but not in other languages."
Tapodhir Bhattacharjee said: "All of us who write poems are pen soldiers, and the one who binds those poems is a dreamer. He, who writes poems is not always a translator, and he who translates poems is not always a poet. So, I think the work of translation should begin by the poets first."
In his speech, poet Joy Goswami said as musicians practices their music every day, Bengali poets similarly continue their practices.
Kamal Chowdhury said the Bengali poems will spread more when they are translated into English. There are very few skilled translators who can translate Bengali literature into English. We have to come out of this situation.
The ceremony was hosted by the poet Shakira Parveen Soma.
The owner of Baatighar Dipankar Das, poet Farid Kabir, poet Jewel Mazhar, writer Jakir Talukder, photographer Nasir Ali Mamun, Tushar Das, Bibhas Roy Chowdhury, Mujib Mehdi, Gautam Guha Roy, Moniruzzaman Mintu, and Kumar Chakraborty, among others, were present in the event.
BDST: 1703 HRS, JAN 10, 2023
SMS/MSK
